Chapter 12 - The Sky Devil, Vertus (1)
It had been an excruciatingly long period of suffering.
After descending in an incomplete state from the summoning circle, Vertus had been tailing the Heavenly Demon in spectral form this entire time.
That bastard undoubtedly possessed power similar to his own.
Just as he had stolen Vertus’s power during the ritual, if he could absorb that being’s energy, he might manifest again with a complete physical form.
But the opportunity never came.
For one, the Heavenly Demon already wielded power capable of annihilating an incomplete Vertus in an instant, making direct confrontation impossible.
The alternative was to gradually corrupt and brainwash other humans or monsters, absorbing their negative emotions to slowly rebuild his strength…
“That damned Heavenly Demon makes everything impossible!”
The Saintess woman constantly trailing after the Heavenly Demon, along with the Radain Church priests and holy knights hovering around them—the area surrounding the Heavenly Demon was filled with beings who could erase Vertus’s very soul if he carelessly revealed himself in his incomplete state.
Nothing could be done near the Heavenly Demon.
But abandoning him to corrupt ordinary humans and steadily regain power wasn’t feasible either.
If rumors spread about strange occurrences in any village, the holy knights would immediately investigate and eliminate him before he could fully recover.
Thus, Vertus remained trapped in spectral form, endlessly following the Heavenly Demon’s shadow.
But finally, an opportunity arose when the extermination force gathered to capture the Heavenly Demon.
“First… let’s start with the ordinary soldiers.”
Sowing discord and division among humans was a demon’s specialty.
Vertus intended to ignite a tiny spark of conflict among them.
That spark would begin with ordinary soldiers, then spread to holy knights, inquisitors… growing larger with each step,
until finally, the flames would consume even that Heavenly Demon bastard.
It started with a trivial quarrel.
The Third Battalion of the extermination force was encamped in the plains northwest of Vain Castle.
Ordinary soldiers sat scattered throughout the camp, idly waiting for deployment orders.
“Hey, Jack. When were you planning to pay back those three silvers you borrowed for drinks last time?”
“Ah, you little— I said I’d pay you back. Making a fuss over pocket change…”
The catalyst was a petty argument between two soldiers.
“What the hell? You’re the one who borrowed money, and you’re acting like this?”
“You’re the one being a prick over nothing, you bastard.”
While it was odd for two normally friendly soldiers to suddenly argue, such incidents weren’t uncommon in a barracks full of hot-blooded men.
A minor incident that could be resolved if comrades or superiors intervened.
“Kyle’s right. Jack, you’ve always been disrespectful to seniors, and now you’re dodging debts? What a joke…”
“Frederick, who are you to talk? Always slacking off on duty and pushing work onto juniors.”
Strangely, however, the surrounding soldiers didn’t mediate the fight—instead, they began airing their own petty grievances against their comrades, escalating the situation.
“Damn it, was I wrong? You bastard!”
Thud!
“Argh! That’s it. You’re dead today.”
Finally, the series of conflicts erupted into violent brawling among the soldiers.
“Hey! What the hell is going on here?!”
The holy knights who rushed over at the commotion were met with a scene of chaos—two hundred soldiers entangled in a life-or-death melee.
“Stop! Stop it!”
Horrified to see soldiers even swinging swords, the holy knights desperately tried to intervene.
“Get lost!”
But the enraged soldiers, blind with fury, didn’t hesitate to hurl insults and even violence at their superiors.
“W-what in the…!”
The holy knights were stunned by this unprecedented situation.
—Whoosh.
At that moment, an almost imperceptible shadow swept through their ranks.
“—I said stop now! Anyone who moves will be executed for treason on the spot!”
Daring to defy orders?!
The holy knights, eyes blazing with fury, joined the brawl.
For the Radain Church’s knights, who prized restraint and composure above all, this was highly unusual.
“Commanders my ass! Golden-armored show-offs!”
“How dare you insult the Radain Church! Death sentence!”
Finally, the entire battalion descended into utter pandemonium.
—And Vertus observed the spectacle with deep satisfaction.
‘How delightfully simple soldiers are. Just a slight nudge to their emotions, and they don’t hesitate to resort to violence.’
All Vertus had done was identify a few soldiers harboring grievances and subtly stoked their malice, encouraging them to vent their frustrations.
Thus, the ordinary soldiers collapsed into infighting, and their rage, hatred, and malice became excellent nourishment for Vertus.
The next step was using that accumulated power to shatter the holy knights’ minds.
The Radain Church’s knights were rigorously trained to resist demons.
But confronted with the soldiers’ sudden riot, cracks formed in their ironclad resolve,
and Vertus exploited those cracks with the power he’d harvested from the soldiers.
Similarly infused with malice, even the holy knights lost their self-control and joined the brawl.
“Damn it, what the hell is happening? H-hey! Stop!”
Even the holy knights who arrived late upon hearing the news couldn’t escape Vertus’s trap.
Finally, after the entire Third Battalion was embroiled in violence,
“Time to wrap this up. My precious pawns shouldn’t get too hurt.”
Vertus revealed himself before them.
“Listen.”
A single word.
Appearing in the sky above the encampment, Vertus uttered just that,
“…”
And like automatons deprived of mana, the soldiers froze mid-swing.
The brainwashing of the ordinary soldiers was complete.
“…! In the sky…!”
Spotting the black aura hovering above, the holy knights frantically reached for their swords,
“Submit.”
“Guhk…”
Already exhausted from fighting and with their willpower nearly broken by Vertus’s schemes,
they couldn’t resist his command and dropped their weapons.
“—Kneel before me, Vertus, the Sky Devil.”
The soldiers, and finally even the holy knights, knelt in submission.
“Hmm… I see.”
Emily’s reaction to the Saintess’s lengthy explanation of recent events was decidedly unimpressed.
Understandable. I’d closed my eyes and started meditating thirty minutes ago.
“Quite different from what I heard. The Radain Church folks were calling him a demon or a possessed vessel, but turns out he’s just a guy from another world?”
During their travels, I’d done my best to make the Saintess understand my situation.
She couldn’t fully grasp concepts like “game,” “possession,” or “otherworld,”
but she’d eventually accepted that I was just an ordinary human caught in some bizarre phenomenon.
“At first, I made the same mistake, Emily. But after traveling with him for over two weeks since our first meeting, observing his actions, and having deep conversations, I came to understand his true nature.”
The Saintess smiled her usual benevolent smile.
“The Heavenly Demon is innocent. Though the power he wields is undeniably ominous, there’s no need for concern. The Radain Church will research methods to purify him.”
When I refused her suggestion to return to the Radain Church with her,
she proposed an alternative—that I stay near the Radain Holy Nation and formally engage with the Church to find a way to remove my powers.
…Not that I remember accepting that offer.
The moment I cross the border, whether by horse or qinggong, I’m putting as much distance between myself and this godforsaken country as possible.
Then I’ll use shapeshifting to alter my appearance and start a new life.
“Hm. Hmmmm…”
After the conversation ended, Emily stared intently at the Saintess and me in turn.
“What’s wrong, Emily?”
“Are you two dating?”
Cough!
That was close. Losing composure during meditation.
“Ah! Heavenly Demon!”
I raised a hand to stop the panicking Saintess as blood trickled from my mouth.
“…Hah. Whew. Don’t joke like that.”
“R-right, Emily.”
“Hmm? But listening to Auriel’s story, it sounds like after the initial kidnapper-hostile dynamic, you two just traveled together normally, right?”
“N-no!”
“Why not?”
“Because, well, I’m the Saintess. And, um…”
“The Heavenly Demon tried to shake her off, but Auriel insisted on following him. And the Demon kept saying he didn’t want her around but never actually stopped her…”
“Enough.”
I got up from the bed, grabbed Auriel and Emily by their arms, and tossed them out the door.
“Eek!”
“Hey! Use your words!”
“I have no reason to entertain your nonsense. Get lost. And one more thing.”
I locked eyes with Auriel.
“Since you said those Radain Church people won’t interfere anymore, I’m leaving first thing tomorrow.”
After informing her, I closed the door and resumed my cross-legged position on the bed.
“…”
Deep breath—
After clearing my mind with measured breaths, I began circulating my energy.
[Activating ‘Energy Circulation: Demonic Qi.’]
[The flow of demonic qi through your blood vessels stabilizes.]
[Warning: No natural energy detected in the surrounding atmosphere.]
[The internal energy recovery effect of ‘Energy Circulation: Demonic Qi’ cannot be applied.]
[Remaining demonic qi: 54%]
“…Tch.”
“You’re just going to let him leave?”
At Emily’s question, Auriel responded with a sullen expression rather than words.
“If the Heavenly Demon wishes to depart, I have no right to stop him…”
“Really? Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“…”
In the Saintess’s room adjacent to the Heavenly Demon’s,
Emily sat in a chair, watching Auriel hug her knees on the bed with growing frustration.
Auriel justified following him by claiming it was her duty as the Saintess to guide the lost soul onto the righteous path,
but to Emily, it was obvious Auriel harbored complicated feelings for the Heavenly Demon.
As her bodyguard who’d observed her closest, Emily knew.
“But, it’s just… I’m the Saintess who follows the will of the gods…”
As a non-believer, Emily cared little for Radain Church doctrines or demon summoning—to her, Auriel just looked like a lovestruck fool.
But she couldn’t outright dismiss Auriel’s convictions either.
Thus, the day passed with both the Heavenly Demon and Saintess holed up in their rooms, avoiding each other…
The next morning.
As promised, the Heavenly Demon finished his preparations and headed for Vain Castle’s western gate.
With only a light backpack of preserved rations, he began walking westward.
Just after exiting the gate, he glanced back and locked eyes with the Saintess watching him from afar.
“…”
Without a word, he turned and left, while the Saintess bowed her head.
“Well, it can’t be helped! And like you said, it’s not like you’ll never see him again, right?”
Emily vigorously comforted the despondent Auriel.
The two entered the alley where their inn was located.
“…Saintess Auriel Radain.”
What awaited them in that alley was a massive middle-aged man clad in golden armor.
“I, Inquisitor Barkus, acting on divine will, hereby arrest the Saintess who conspired with a demon.”
As the man declared his intent, holy knights emerged at both ends of the alley, surrounding them.